A new animation starring a curious badger highlights the importance of spending time with friends and family rather than spending money shopping this Christmas.

The short film is being launched to coincide with Edinburgh’s third ‘Why Buy Day’ where Friends of the Earth Scotland invites Princes Street shoppers to bring and swap used items to reduce resources used to manufacture and package new goods.

Instead of buying new products, people can bring used DVDs, CDs, records, books and videos and exchange them for different ones – all for free! There will also be free gift wrapping provided, along with a display of creative funky ideas for reusing magazines and fabric for Christmas cards and decorations.

Sam Adderley, Waste Prevention Officer at Friends of the Earth Scotland, said: "We're here to get people swapping things they don't need. Why buy stuff new, which uses up enormous amounts of energy and resources to produce, when people have stashes of great stuff they don’t need and are happy to swap. And lets face it – this Christmas especially most of us can’t afford to buy loads of new stuff.

“The UK produces 3m tonnes of waste over the Christmas period, so we’re here to provide a fun, practical alternative to all this rubbish and the unnecessary spending that goes with it.

“Our ‘Badger in Waste Wonderland’ animation highlights the importance of spending time with friends and family rather than spending money, something which is particularly relevant at Christmas time.”

There is no charge for using the swap stall. Shoppers can just give what they no longer need, or take what they think would make a good present. Remember: it’s the thought that counts, and thoughts about the environment count even more.

Festive facts

The UK generates around 3million tons of waste over the festive period (Source: DEFRA).

It’s estimated that over Christmas as much as 83 square km of wrapping paper will end up in rubbish bins across the UK –this is the equivalent to the area of 638 Hampden Parks.

For media enquiries, please contact:

Per Fischer, Press Office, Friends of the Earth Scotland

T: 0131 243 2719

Notes to editors

The Swap Your Stuff stall, coinciding with the Why Buy Day (also known as UK's Buy Nothing Day), will be held in front of the General Register House, 2 Princes Street, Edinburgh EH1 3YY on Saturday 28 November between 11am and 3pm.

CREW recently released "Badger in Waste Wonderland", a 5 minute animation showing the impacts of waste:www.foe-scotland.org.uk/node/261

CREW (Communities Reducing Excess Waste) is Friends of the Earth Scotland's waste prevention project which aims to reduce waste at the source. It is available for businesses, households and communities across Scotland.www.foe-scotland.org.uk/crew

Friends of the Earth Scotland exists to help people in Scotland look after the planet for everyone’s future. We think globally and act locally in Scotland, delivering solutions to climate change by enabling and empowering people to take both individual and collective action. We offer help to people with the big things in life – helping to sustain a healthy society and environment. We believe that all of our children’s futures will be better because of what we do. www.foe-scotland.org.uk